


Listening to a Dream

by wiselavi



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Drabble Collection, Multi, Past!Allen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-12 04:31:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 4,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9055489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wiselavi/pseuds/wiselavi
Summary: A bunch of drabbles written for my big sister, mostly involving various rarepairs.





	1. Malcolm/Link

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Empatheia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Empatheia/gifts).



> merry christmas, big sis! i love you so much and i had to write you something great, so this is the best i could come up with. ten drabbles, all approximately 400 words. i hope you like it!  
> totally stole the title from a shinedown song, btw. well, a shinedown poem

Link curled up in the alley, trying to keep himself warm against the cold and failing, and desperately attempting to get his mind off of what it was like the last time he was homeless and buried in the snow in an alleyway. He looked over at Allen–Nea, he corrected himself–and wondered if he should give the man his coat to make sure he doesn’t freeze. He’d seen people die from sleeping in this kind of cold.  He shook his head, trying to clear out those darker thoughts, of the ones he'd seen freeze to death, of the friends he'd seen die from much worse. He recited a few recipes to himself, over and over, until he had calmed down, and he didn't even realize until he'd stopped that he'd been holding onto the rosary around his neck as though it was the only thing keeping him alive. Maybe it was.

Link let his mind change its focus to Malcolm, remembering how he was the one who saved him off the streets, how he taught him everything he knows, and he smiled slightly as he lost himself in his memories, daydreaming about happier times. Memories of baking with him, working with him, and learning from him gave way to something much sweeter, his heart thumping in his chest from equal parts excitement and loneliness. Link had spent almost every night for years now either in Malcolm's bed or dreaming of being there, always waking in the mornings being able to see him and to sometimes spend every waking moment by his side. It had been a long time since he'd felt so utterly alone, and Link was bordering on terrified.

His thoughts turned dark again at that, the cold alley all too reminiscent of his childhood, freezing in the cold and praying for someone to save them. Back then, his prayers had been answered, and an angel had come to save him from being lost out there forever. Now, he wrapped his hand even tighter around the rosary at his neck, and prayed again. No one would save him here, but he prayed nonetheless. For Malcolm to be safe at the Order without him, for the chance to return to his side soon, for a way to find them both some way to be together, and for God to keep what was left of the people he loved alive, he prayed.


	2. Nea/Past!Allen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> nea's only tolerable to write when he's in love, tbh

He let himself doze off, figuring that even if he fell asleep, there would be no way for Allen to steal his body back from him. He needed the rest, anyways.

Nea found himself in a hellish landscape, snow falling on the ruined city that surrounded him, and looked around, trying to see if there was anyone else here, or if this might be his sister Road's doing. He didn’t see anything until he’d gone in a full circle, a hint of reddish-brown peeking past the pillars and snow. He walked towards it.

The closer he got, the more he recognized what was before him. A man with red hair and big glasses and a love of science that surpassed everything. Well, everything except what the bookworm felt for Nea, and what Nea felt for him in return.

Allen lived up to his nickname, his nose buried in a thick book as he scribbled down notes with his left hand, and Nea realized that he was back in Allen’s study, a warm, quiet place, more peaceful than anything else he’d ever known.

He wanted to speak, to say anything, to ask Allen how he was here, what had happened to him, if he still loved him even though they’d been apart for so long, even though the Allen he knew now had forgotten him, but no words would leave his lips. He always knew what to say. What was wrong with him? Why couldn’t he say anything? Even just “I missed you”?

Nea found he couldn’t even walk to Allen’s side when he tried, his legs instead moving him to a chair near a fireplace, and he sighed, contenting himself with sitting and watching Allen do his work. The warmth from the fire, the rhythmic scratching of Allen’s quill on the page, and just sitting in a place happier and safer than anywhere he’d been in decades, they all helped to lull his eyes closed once more.

When he opened his eyes, he saw the alley he and that watchdog, Link, had taken refuge in, as well as the still-comatose man who'd been helping the other Allen. Looking over the two of them and thinking about everything he had to do nearly killed him right there, so he winced and shut his eyes again, choosing instead to lose himself in the memories he’d had before everything went wrong.


	3. Allen/Kanda/Johnny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> johnny's full of love and needs bfs  
> i'm not sure how much you'll like this ship but i p r a y

Johnny soared above the city, laughing happily to himself as he sailed through clouds and into a wheat field, landing on his back as the wheat broke his fall, as though it was saving him. He sat up, giggling, and looked up when two hands reached down to help him stand. When he saw whose hands they were, he smiled, grabbing their hands and letting them pull him into a group hug, Allen and Kanda wrapping their arms around him as tightly as they could. He returned the hug, gripping the backs of their shirts and ignoring the fear that shot through him, the fear of losing them again.

As they untangled themselves from each other, Allen moved to take Johnny's right hand and Kanda took his left, before they both kissed him on his cheeks. He flushed bright red, and he heard Allen's high, clear laugh, and saw Kanda's quiet smile, and he felt calm and happy and safe. He let them lead him through the wheat field, swinging their arms back and forth as he went.

They quickly came to a cottage, which Allen dragged Johnny into, Kanda right on their heels. A dinner was laid out before them, turkey and stuffing and cake that tasted just like what Jeryy made, and they sat down together to eat, Allen wolfing down food as he always did and half-joking, half-arguing with Kanda as he did, the two doing their usual bickering except for when Johnny spoke up, at which they went silent just to stare at him and listen. Johnny couldn't help but feel it was off, but he didn't mind. How could he? He loved being with them.

With Allen's help, it didn't take long for them to finish eating, and Kanda took Johnny's hand once more, pulling him into a bedroom, where he then let go so he could curl up in bed, alone. Allen pushed into the room past Johnny, climbing into bed next to Kanda, cuddling up with him so they could sleep. They both looked into Johnny's eyes and held out a hand, gesturing him into their arms.

"You aren't going to leave us, are you?" They asked, and Johnny felt his heart melt, and he moved forward without realizing, crawling onto the bed and into their arms, their bodies wrapping around his. He pushed away any doubts he still had, all his thoughts and worries, and he let himself drift off.


	4. Kanda & Lena

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> they're such cute siblings and i cry  
> i hope i wrote this one okay!

"Kanda?" He opened his eyes. Lenalee was standing at the door of the room he meditated in, and he nodded, knowing what she wanted without having to hear her say it. She sat curled up next to him and relaxed, so he did too, but it didn't take long for her to tense up and break the silence. "I'm really happy to see you again, but I can't believe you became a general. Wasn't there any other way?"

"No," he said, and she frowned, her eyebrows furrowing the way they did when she couldn't decide whether to yell or cry. He hoped she'd yell. She was a lot easier to comfort when she was angry.

"Can you really help Allen while you're here? Are you sure you should be here at all?" She was trying to push him away from the Order. He didn't mind, really, he knew that she loved him like her brother and that she only wanted him to be happy, but he wouldn't've come back if he didn't have his reasons. He also knew that she knew that already.

"Lena, I need you to trust me." She turned away at that, and Kanda cursed himself once he heard her sniffle. "Lenal-" A quick punch to the gut cut him off, and he recoiled, stifling a cough as he dodged another blow. She almost yelled at him before she simply broke into tears, hugging him as tightly as she could.

"You're ugly when you cry," Kanda said, and she pushed him away long enough to throw a barely-dodged punch at his throat.

"You're ugly when you're rude," Lenalee replied. She hugged him again, and whispered, "Do you regret it?" 

He knew that she meant coming back to the Order to become a General, but there was something in her voice that asked if he regretted anything. It didn't change his answer. He pulled her closer to him, and whispered back, "No." Lenalee laughed, quietly, painfully, and sat in his lap for a little while before moving away to go sit and meditate. She smiled and wiped her tears before closing her eyes, and they spent the rest of the morning together in peaceful silence. 

They went to see the others in the afternoon, helping them decorate the Order for Christmas, Lenalee mostly working with her brother while Kanda stared at her, memorizing her bright smile and sad eyes, so that way he'd have her with him when he had to leave again.


	5. Komui/Reever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> pining reever is by far the strangest thing i've ever written, which is impressive

"Chief, I'm not letting you use Komlin to hang up the garlands," Reever said, yelling at his boss, who was currently on the other side of the room and searching for a battery that would be large enough to power one of his maniacal robots.

"But why not?! My Komlin can make whatever we need, decorate the entire building singlehandedly, and even find the largest Christmas tree you've ever seen! Give him a chance, Reever!" Komui shouted back, not stopping his search to even look up at his subordinate, who currently had his head buried in his hands.

"And what if it malfunctions and decides to use our heads as ornaments?" Komui did turn around then, frowning as he walked over to Reever.

"Today's a day to celebrate! Come decorate with me," he said, taking Reever's hands in his and swinging them around. Komui dragged him over to the stacks of boxes he'd been looking through and started pawing through them again, oblivious to the blush that rose in Reever's cheeks. He tried to shake it off, but even that was enouh to fluster him, deciding to go ahead and search for the battery that Komui wanted simply to distract himself.

He'd been feeling _something_ about Komui for years now, an emotion amazing and painful and entirely impossible to work with, just like the man himself. When Komui was happy, so was he, and when Komui was upset, he wanted to do anything to protect him. He knew that there was really nothing for him to do to for him to help Komui except protect Lenalee and work as hard as he could, but he'd been desperate to do more practically since they'd met, and he couldn't understand why.

Looking at Komui now, he felt like his heart could break. His usual cheeriness was obviously faked, which Reever had seen before, but never to this extent. Lenalee was depressed and so many Exorcists were gone without a trace. Even with Kanda's return, Komui looked like he was barely keeping himself alive. There wasn't much Reever could do to fix it, either, and it killed him inside, so he sighed and went to grab the Komlin battery he'd hid for everyone's safety. He gave it to Komui, who grinned, running to go fix Komlin before stopping in his tracks. He turned back to Reever and hugged him, whispering a quiet "thank you".

Reever decided then that even if he couldn't save Komui the way he wanted to, helping him like this was enough.


	6. Miranda/Klaud

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i keep wanting to call miranda "mira" but i held back  
> anyways, these two are impossible to write, but who cares? they're like the cutest couple in dgm, so i hope u love his anyways

"Oh, we really shouldn't've waited so long to go buy gifts! Everything is bound to be sold out by now and even if we can find something I don't know if the Order will cover the expense because I don't have a lot of mon-"

"Miranda, calm down," Klaud said, squeezing her girlfriend's hand. She looked up at Klaud fearfully, clearly about to go into another worried rant. Klaud cut her off. "We'll be able to find everything we need. I can always come back to buy anything we miss."

They'd started dating only a few months ago, most of the other Exorcists being supportive, ranging from Marie congratulating them to Tiedoll buying them an early wedding gift to Cross expressing how willing he was to come by if they ever needed a man to join them in bed, which would've earned him a whipping if Miranda hadn't stopped her. The Order executives didn't approve, and neither did many of the various personnel, but no one was dumb enough to tell Klaud their opinions on her relationship. Even if they had, she had been prepared to fight off anyone who caused Miranda trouble. What she didn't know how to deal with was Miranda's anxiety and self-deprecating nature. Miranda seemed to be constantly worrying about how everyone thought about her, and as her girlfriend, Miranda was especially terrified with how Klaud felt about her.

"N-no, I really don't want to put you out. I'll try to find everything quickly so we can return to the Order," Miranda said, bobbing her head and quickly turning to peer into every shop window and also looking for anything discarded nearby. They'd eventually found everything they needed, Klaud weighed down with bags and Miranda fretting over whether they'd forgotten anyone. By the time they were done it was dark, some light snow from the morning getting heavier every passing minute as they tried to walk back to Headquarters.

"We'll never make it back to the Order in this," Klaud said, and before Miranda could protest she dragged her into the nearest inn, securing them a room quickly.

"I-I'm sure we can make it and we left Lau Jimin behind, so we really need to go ba-" Miranda cut off as Klaud wrapped her arms around her waist, tugging off her heavy coat and pulling Miranda into bed. She jumped, before giggling and falling into Klaud's arms. They pushed all thoughts of the others and their worries away, and focused only on each other until morning.


	7. Tyki & Sheril

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this was going to be tyki and road until i remembered that road is currently floating thru space and time, and all these drabbles are supposed to be around/a little bit later than current canon  
> so u get sheril & tyki bc. i had to write sheril. couldn't stop myself.  
> i hope u like it anyways!

"I can't believe you're making me do this," Sheril said, lounging on a nearby armchair and not working at all. Tyki sighed.

"Sheril, c'mon. Duke Millennium told us to decorate the Ark for Christmas," he said, tossing an ornament at Sheril, which he caught midair, only to throw it to the floor and let it shatter. The sound of breaking glass practically summoned Jasdevi, and the two darted through the room, cheering about presents and singing Christmas carols that had almost every lyric changed to a curse, which only seemed to make Sheril's mood worse. Tyki grinned. "Everyone's having fun, alright? You can too, if you stop acting like such a priss." Sheril pouted at him, sighing dramatically as he dodged another thrown ornament.

"I'm not being prissy, Tyki, and I'm rather offended that you'd say that to me. I simply don't see any point to doing all of this without Road." 

"Sheril... she'll be back. You need to trust her," he replied, still hanging ornaments on the tree and cursing himself for throwing so many of them at his brother. 

"But I was supposed to protect her! And so were you, for that matter." Tyki turned to look at Sheril, who had a terrifyingly tight grip on his armchair, as though he was barely holding himself back from attacking. Tyki sighed, and went over to sit nearby, sorting out what he needed to do to calm Sheril down again.

"I know, and I'm sorry. But don't you think she'd want us to celebrate?" He asked, and Sheril scoffed.

"She'd be upset that we did anything without her, Tyki, you should know that by now," Sheril said, crossing his arms. Tyki shook his head.

"We can celebrate in her honor. She'll love that we had a party about her." Sheril paused at that, and he was quiet for a few minutes before speaking again, as though he was considering. His expression softened.

"It sounds more like a funeral, you know," he said, but Tyki saw his hand wave, and then a tornado of Christmas cheer flew across the room as tinsel strung itself along banisters and ornaments found their places on a tree and stockings jumped to their spots above the fireplace. Tyki grinned, and Sheril smiled back at him, a kinder smile than his usual one. He stood up out of his chair and Tyki slung his arm around his brother's shoulder, leading him out the door.

"D'you think you can do that for the entire Ark?"


	8. Wisely/Lavi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i'm pretty sure this is the first wiselavi thing i've ever written, which is WILD and also fitting bc it's all ur fault i ship them and in fact most of the pairs in this

Lavi woke up slowly, not even bothering to open his eyes. He willed himself to be tired again, to go back to sleep, until he realized that whatever he was sleeping on was considerably softer than the floor of his cell. A bed? He sat up quickly and fell back down even faster as pain shot up his spine. He heard a giggle and craned his neck up, opening his eye to see Wisely, his sort-of boyfriend staring back at him, smiling as he went to crawl into bed. Lavi welcomed him into his arms.

"Where's Sheril?" Lavi had to ask. Sheril hadn't seemed to catch on to their relationship yet, somehow, but it'd be bad for both of them if he did, and considerably worse for himself than it would be for Wisely. Wisely's grip tightened around him, almost as though he'd fight Sheril himself, were the man to find them.

"He's busy all day with the rest of the family. You shouldn't worry about him," Wisely murmured, tracing his finger along Lavi's chest and purposefully avoiding any scars that lay there.

"So I should worry about one of the other million things going wrong, then?" He asked. He immediately regretted saying it, which Wisely seemed to accept as an unspoken apology. His mindreading wasn't all bad, at least. Lavi was happy to have someone who understood him.

"Today isn't a day for worrying. Today is a day for relaxing and drinking hot cocoa."

"Hot cocoa?" Lavi grinned at that. He hadn't had anything to drink in a while, and most of what he did get to drink was just some sips of water every few days. Something warm and rich like hot chocolate sent his heart soaring, and he smiled even brighter when Wisely nodded and got up to go answer a knock at the door. The knock was a servant delivering their drinks, and Lavi sat up slower this time so he could take the cocoa from her hands, before Wisely took his and sent her out the door.

Wisely grabbed a book he had lying around and curled back up in bed with Lavi, flipping to the first page and reading aloud, only pausing when he needed a drink. Lavi sighed happily. He leaned back and closed his eyes, taking sips of his hot chocolate and letting the calm, clear hum of Wisely's voice wash over him.


	9. Cross/Nea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i hate writing cross, he's as impossible to write as allen is, but at least he's as tolerable as nea is when he's pining  
> i hope u like it!

Cross hated dreaming.

It was dim and confusing and uncontrollable, nothing like working with the Noah or the Order, and nothing like the power he'd become so used to having. That, too, the fact that he was powerless here, it made him hate dreaming all the more. He supposed Road was the only reason it was bearable, but they were still on uncertain terms, to say the least.

His dreams were generally dark and dreary, which is why he was happy to drink enough to make them disappear, but everything that had happened lately made it so dreaming was unavoidable. There wasn't much else to do when you were unconscious and being manipulated by an old hag.

Cross' footsteps were heavy on the cold tile of the Ark, Nea's Ark, as he looked around the place. It wasn't long after he entered that he heard music playing, different notes on a piano he knew all too well ringing through the air. It took all of his self-control not to sprint towards it as fast as he could. He didn't want to get his hopes up.

Nea was still playing by the time he walked in, looking the same as he had when they first met, smooth umber skin and glinting golden eyes, unchanged after the years. He supposed that made sense in a dream. Cross walked up to Nea and slid onto the seat next to him, earning him a gentle shove and a laugh.

"I'll play the melody, and you play the harmony, alright?" Nea said, smiling playfully at Cross, who nodded. He found himself too choked up to speak at seeing Nea again, so he simply got ready to play.

It had been a long time since he'd played the piano, and even longer since he'd played with Nea like this, but hearing the beginning notes of the song Nea played brought it back to him, and soon enough the music echoed throughout the room, the sound bringing a joy to him that he hadn't felt in a long time. When it ended, Nea started up another song almost instantly, and Cross joined him, letting himself relax and enjoy the music. They played for what Cross felt was hours, but even so, he never wanted it to stop.

He knew the dream was just a product of either his imagination or Road's, but even so, Cross stayed with Nea as long as he could, playing and singing along until his dreams changed again.


	10. Allen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> last one! for the birthday boy  
> i felt like we needed some pure allen to round out everything, and i know how much you like dreamwalkers, so  
> merry christmas, andi

Allen walked through the air, stepping silently through everyone's dreamscapes, watching Johnny soar past him with a giggle and land in Kanda's arms, seeing himself pull Johnny to his feet and walking on as the three ran off. He saw the fourteenth disappear into a cottage after a redheaded man, a different redhead chasing after him; a young Lenalee danced around in her brother's arms; another Kanda sat with Alma in his lap, hand running through his hair. Allen decided to try and run through everyone's dreams, at least, everyone he could think of, laughing at Komui's antics replaying in Reever's head and smiling at Miranda's dreams of those she loved and shuddering at the eerie nothingness he saw in Lavi's.

All of them were going on without him, sorting through everything as best they could. He wanted to stay here, to watch them all live out their lives, to be able to see them survive, even if he wasn't by their side. The only thing that kept him moving was knowing that he couldn't protect them from here. Allen kept walking, only to see that the pictures around him turned dark, flickering into nightmares. He figured it was Road, trying to stop him from going any further, but he ignored it, pushing the gruesome images and terrified screams out of his mind. He blinked against sudden tears and shut his eyes, breaking into a sprint to try and find some respite.

Far too slowly, the noise started to fade. leaving Allen with the wind howling in his ears. He opened his eyes to the wheat field he'd seen before, and took a deep breath. The only way he would be able to protect his friends from here on would be to keep going, to do everything he could until he found some way they could all survive, and be happy. There had to be some way to save everyone. He shivered at the idea of losing any of them, of seeing them suffer, their nightmares still fresh in his mind, and shook his head, trying to force himself to calm down. He would protect all of them, no matter what. Allen closed his eyes and meditated for a little while until he was ready to go, trying to prepare himself for whatever might come next.

He opened his eyes and kept walking.


End file.
